Provisional
edition
The situation in Tunisia
Recommendation 1972 (2011)1
1. The
Parliamentary Assembly refers to its
Resolution 1819 (2011) on the situation in Tunisia. It
also refers to the efforts of the Turkish Chairmanship of the
Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the
Council of Europe to contribute to the changes taking place in
Tunisia.
2. The
success of the reforms embarked upon in Tunisia, where the
people have been at the forefront of the “Arab Spring”, is of
particular importance for the future of the transition to
democracy and progress towards the universal values of the
whole Mediterranean and Middle East region. Europe, built on
those same values, should do all it can to contribute to the
success of the transition in Tunisia.
3. The
Council of Europe is able to put at the disposal of Tunisia
its unique experience and expertise in accompanying democratic
transitions and establishing new institutions in young
democracies in Europe. It should deploy its resources to offer
practical and effective assistance in the implementation of
democratic reforms in Tunisia.
4.
Accordingly, the Assembly recommends that the Committee of
Ministers:
4.1.
step up co-operation with the Tunisian Higher Authority for
Realisation of the Objectives of the Revolution, Political
Reform and Democratic Transition and provide it with
relevant information on practical experiences of
constitutional processes in Europe;
4.2.
draw up, in liaison with the transitional Tunisian
authorities and in co-operation with other institutional
partners, especially the European Union, a programme to
assist with the institutional and political reforms in
Tunisia, and call on member states and other partners to
ensure the funding of such a programme;
4.3.
give priority to assistance in electoral matters, including
the training of staff to administer the elections and local
observers from Tunisian civil society;
4.4.
involve Tunisian representatives, including those of civil
society, in the activities of the Council of Europe in the
field of democracy, and in particular in the Forum for the
Future of Democracy, the Summer University for Democracy and
the future Strasbourg International Forum for Democracy;
4.5.
examine the conditions of a possible accession by Tunisia to
a certain number of European conventions, notably in the
fields of democracy, the rule of law and human rights;
4.6.
invite Tunisia to accede to the Council of Europe's enlarged
partial agreements, in particular the European Centre for
Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South
Centre).
5. In
addition, the Assembly recalls its
Resolution 1805 (2011) and
Recommendation 1967 (2011) on the large-scale arrival of
irregular migrants, asylum seekers and refugees on Europe’s
southern shores. It invites the Committee of Ministers to
examine the measures to take in order that the Council of
Europe can fully play its role as the main European
organisation for the protection of human rights in this
matter.
6. The
Assembly refers to the conclusions of the report of the Group
of eminent persons of the Council of Europe “Living Together –
combining diversity and freedom in the 21st Century Europe” to
move the Organisation closer to its neighbours and recommends
that the Committee of Ministers examine the possibility of
creating, in consultation with the Assembly, a special status
with the Council of Europe for the countries of the southern
and eastern Mediterranean which would ensure a closer
relationship than the one provided by the observer status.
1 Assembly debate on 21 June 2011
(22nd Sitting) (see Doc.
12624, report of the Political Affairs Committee,
rapporteur: Ms Brasseur). Text adopted by the Assembly
on 21 June 2011 (22nd Sitting). |